Aquamarine Prophesy
by Kohaku Frost
Summary: The Cetra want to save Aeris, so they go looking through possible alternate futures. RenoTifa. Rated for violence, massive amounts of character death. 30 minute challenge from a friend of mine.


Aquamarine Prophesy

Deep, deep within the Lifestream, there is a beautiful, wondrous place. In this heart of the Lifestream, those Cetra who were powerful in life and changed the world through death gather and determine the course of fate for the living.

At this point in time, they were discussing a potential future that would save the last Cetra, and yet condemn most of the world. Through magical means, the Council of the Cetra opened the doors of fate and glanced inside, quickly snatching up an alternate future for observation and consideration. Placing the brilliant aquamarine sphere on the table, the Council peered into its depths.

_It was about a week before the first reactor blew, and Reno of the Turks was busy enjoying the company of his favorite bartender, Tifa Lockheart. The bar was closing and Reno was slightly drunk. He was a friend of the owner, so he was allowed to stay after hours. All the help had gone home to bed and it was only the red-headed Turk and the attractive bartender. The Turk caught the young bartender's gaze with his own blue-green eyes. A moment of hesitation caught him and he paused._

The Cetra Council watched in interest, cursing the limitations of future-gazing and wishing they could hear what was said. This future, they thought, held promise.

_Reno leaned over and kissed the lovely young woman, making her blush. He whispered something to her that made her smile, then in a single fluid motion, he went down on one knee and held out a ring for her. The ring was silver and set with a stone the exact same shade as his eyes. Tifa was obviously flustered, but smiling more brightly than ever before. She accepted, and Reno spoke some more, before kissing her again and leaving the bar. _

_A few days later, Cloud Strife appeared and the reactor was blown. Reno sat in a board meeting and swore under his breath at the plans for the destruction of AVALANCHE. They'd try and cut them down at the next reactor, but if that failed, the Sector Seven plate was coming down._

_Cloud was paid and they were heading out for the next job, without Tifa. Barret Wallace and the young martial artist were in a heated argument, which Tifa won. The party left and Tifa was left alone in the bar. _

_In the reactor, Cloud and Barret were overwhelmed by the robot killing machine sent after them, and it wasn't long before they were killed._

_At Tifa's Seventh Heaven, Tseng of the Turks waltzed in and killed both Tifa and the little girl Marlene. Just before he left, the ring on Tifa's left hand caught his eye and he swore. He left Midgar that night._

_Reno heard of the deaths of AVALANCHE in the reactor, and also how someone had been sent to eliminate the support structure for the rebel group. The target had been the only bar in Sector Seven. The Turk had run all the way to Tifa's bar, kicking in the door and breaking down at the sight of his beloved dead. He cried until he'd run out of tears, and then returned to the Shin-Ra building. Sephiroth had already been through there, and Reno caught up with him on the roof. _

_The fight was brutal and bloody, the Great Sephiroth found himself being defeated by an enraged Turk. Reno got in one last lucky shot with his mag-rod before Sephiroth killed him. When Vice President Rufus arrived, he and Rude finished off the grievously wounded General. _

_In the slums, the Last Cetra opened the door to Tifa's bar, looking to enjoy a meal when the sight of little Marlene, a girl she'd taught at the church, lying dead on the floor caused her breakdown. That was where Hojo's men found her when they came to collect her. The Neo-Midgar project went on, and soon another Sephiroth clone acquired the Black materia, summoning Meteor. Because Aeris was trapped in the bowels of the Shin-Ra building, there was no one the stop Jenova's plot. The world was destroyed._

In the heart of the Lifestream, the Cetra Council destroyed that particular future, rather than throw it back into the void of possibility. Shaken by what they had unearthed, the Council scrapped all there plans for changing the future, deciding at last to trust in Planet and the Last Cetra.

One part of the potential future had come to pass though.

On Tifa Lockheart's left hand, beneath her fighting glove, was a beautiful silver ring with an aquamarine stone.

Author's note: A thirty minute challenge from a friend of mine. I thought the change of future was an interesting concept to pursue, and if it was possible, why hadn't it been done? R&R, tell me what you think. I'm always up for constructive criticism.


End file.
